Lava and Vargas, a Short Tale
by Haos Serpent Blade-Azure Fang
Summary: Based on the mobile game, Brave Frontier: Lava and Vargas, once a pair of knights for the Agni Empire, met each other during a sparring competition. It was then that a flame was kindled...
1. The First Encounter

**Haos, here with another story. This one is based on the mobile game Brave Frontier. The story revolves around two knights of the Agni Empire, Lava and Vargas, who met for the first time in a sparring competition. Initially, this was just a contest entry, but I decided I liked how the story flowed, so I'll add to it. FWI, this story will be MUCH shorter than my other ones. If it surpasses 6k words, that'll be a miracle. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"You may begin," stated the referee as the two knights stared each other down. On the right stood Vargas, young man that became a Knight of Agni, following in the footsteps of his late father. On the left stood Lava, a young woman trained from birth to become the ultimate weapon of the Agni Empire at the cost of being distanced from others until her training was complete. Over the years, both had acquired some fame due to their skill in battle and ability to lead others so, when they met for the first time, a rivalry of sorts was born.

Vargas looked at his opponent and smirked, his training over the last few years had prepared him many things. When he saw Lava, he decided to hold back, not much, but enough not to hurt the young woman in front of him as a formality. Vargas did not think that she was weak, he thought that she nearly as strong as him or equal in strength, but she definitely didn't have the trump card he had acquired.

Vargas entered his stance, one that his father had taught him before his untimely passing. He turned to the side and hefted his long sword across his shoulders with his right arm, facing his opponent. A few gasps escaped the audience, many of the people recognizing Vargas' stance as his father, Anrhi's. Vargas ignored the audience and focused on Lava, who held her sword at her side, gesturing for her to make the first move. When she did not, he made the first move.

Vargas rushed Lava, appearing to be gliding toward her. Lava reflexively jumped back, missing the smirk that formed on his face the moment she took to the air. Switching his grip on his long sword to reverse and pivoting, Vargas sprung after Lava and swung his blade upwards, catching her in the midst of her attempted dodge due to the length of his weapon. Vargas' blade struck the female knight twice, once with the edge, which dragged her higher into the air, then with tip, which pushed Lava back, before he released a burst of flame that sent her skidding backwards. He quickly returned to his stance and beckoned for Lava to make a move with his free hand. This time, Lava obliged.

Faster than Vargas could react, Lava was upon him and delivered a swift, but heavy, slash that he could barely avoid, leaving him open to her follow up attack. Lava sheathed her blade and jumped away from the knight, confusing him until a series of three small explosions sent him to his knees. Lava did not wait for Vargas to recover, she capitalized on his broken stance by jumping and thrusting her blade at him. Vargas clumsily blocked the attack with his weapon and managed to push Lava back with a well timed swipe, now realizing his error in judgment. Getting back into stance, Vargas waited a moment then charged, Lava doing the same...

* * *

Vargas laid on the ground, defeated. Lava nursed one her knees as she kneeled from Vargas' last attack, a firestorm and swordplay combination. The battle had been close, if Vargas had timed his last few attacks better he could've defeated her, staining Lava's record of zero defeats. Unknown to Lava, her heart was not beating faster from adrenaline or exhaustion, but from the pleasure she had felt fighting against someone that had the potential to best her. When the knights under her command came to aid her, she graced them with a smile that made many of them wonder if Lava had been changed by the battle.

"Captain, are you alright," asked one of the knights, genuinely concerned for his captain's well being. Immediately, Lava's smile became the scowl that most had become accustomed to seeing.

"Yes," she snapped, "Is it not alright for me to smile every once and awhile?" When the knight could not respond, her scowl deepened. "Fetch me my night wear, I am going retire for the night." The knight nodded hastily, running to get Lava's gown. Once he returned, Lava ordered all of the knights under her command to have the night off, free from drills and combat exercises, before going to her room. Once there, the knight changed out of her armor and into her night gown, then fell asleep and dreamt of Vargas...

* * *

Vargas awoke inside the infirmary of Castle Agni with a headache. He was confused by his location until he remembered that Lava defeated him. Seeing his own weakness, Vargas got up and left the infirmary to hone his skills. When the medic tending to him asked where he was going upon seeing Vargas leaving, he received a simple answer.

"Training until I can best her." Without another word, Vargas left the castle with his equipment and belongings, keen on training until he could surpass the knight that defeated him. Unbeknownst to him, his face had reddened from the thought of crossing blades with lava for a second time.

"Lava, I'll defeat you someday," he vowed before vanishing into the wilderness.  
"Vargas, let's meet in battle once more..." Lava whispered as she dreamt.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, this story will be... interesting to write. It'll definitely help me with emotional expression if I write this well, which I may or may not, it depends on your opinion. Later, I'll add the more detailed version of this chapter, which can be compared to this version for differences. **

**For anyone waiting for the FFI:AotSL chapters: They are in progress. I'm working on the first one as you read this. I did not forget about that at all, nor will I.**

**On another note, soon, My Laptop will be fixed, meaning no more upload issues and faster updates the moment I get reacclimated to using it.**

**With that said, thanks for reading,**

**-Haos.**


	2. The Passage of Time(Vargas Half)

Several years have passed. The warrior Vargas left his kingdom to pursue greater strength, while the knight turned weapon, Lava, continued down a path of solitude and power. Neither had seen each other in years and, until the fickle finger of fate drew them together again in the future, neither was aware of the other's growth. To Vargas, surpassing Lava had become a wall he had to overcome, one that was worth all of his effort and determination, but not because he felt inferior or jealous. In his mind, Lava was the ideal form of a Knight of the Agni Kingdom. She was fierce, calm, strong and lacked hesitation in the areas where he was brash, hot headed and without focus. To say that he wanted to be like Lava wouldn't be far from the truth, but he understood that even his ideal and goal had flaws.

It wasn't until after Vargas left the Agni Kingdom that he learned of Lava's near emotionless personality and path of isolation that pushed her away from those under her leadership. It wasn't until after he had left that he learned of Lava's fascination with him and her desire to cross blades with him once more or that he had been the one to spark Lava's desire to improve more than ever. Really, he found that to be a bit bothersome. It wasn't Lava's inevitable improvement or the fact that he had been far too hasty when he chose to leave for training that bothered him, but the fact that he learned more about the one he strived to surpass only _after_ he left.

The young warrior sighed just thinking about it. He'd really screwed up back then, but living in the past was no way to pave a way into the future. He'd trained, trained for hours, sometimes days, on end with no rest until he couldn't lift his father's sword anymore. Gradually, this took longer and longer to occur, up to the point where the heirloom had become worn, chipped and battered to near ruin, but each time Vargas would repair Anrhi's sword back to its original state. It was after one such day that fate finally dealt Vargas a winning hand so to speak, though it was a blessing in disguise initially.

"Ah," paused the warrior as the sword that had been at his side since his father's passing snapped in two. He looked at the portion he held then to the portion embedded in a nearby rock for several moments before dread finally set in. "Of all of the... This can't, this CANNOT be happening! Not now of all times!" He began to pace the area briskly. "Nononono nononono no and no! Now what am I going to do? I can't use this sword anymore, much less train with it anymore. That's beside the point! GRAAH!"

To anyone passing by, this would look like a nervous breakdown with no real cause, but at that moment not just _anyone_ was passing through the area.

"Oi, Fire Knight," called the passerby. "If you can get me the materials I can make you a better sword." This person was Galant, a soon to be fabled blacksmith known for his fierce temperament when it came to weapons. In truth, he had seen the incident that cost Vargas his heirloom blade(An overzealous swing that made the blade bite into a large stone) and he had planned to chew the swordsman out for the incident, but seeing the man crumble as the worn weapon snapped had put him off. He contemplated whether or not to simply leave the man alone or berate him when his departed grandfather's words echoed in his ears.

"_A blacksmith does not simply better weapons and armor, he also enhances the will and motivation of those who wield them."_

Galant's wrath faded and he sighed before addressing the warrior, startling Vargas in the process. "I won't repeat myself." Galant narrowed his eyes, thinking Vargas daft, and prepared to continue his own journey when the warrior called out to him.

"W-wait! Give me a moment!" The blacksmith turned around quietly, glancing over the man behind him as he attempted to retrieve the half of his sword embedded in the stone. _You've got to be kidding me. Let's hope he can pull his own weight... _Galant had the feeling that this would be the start of a long partnership and not in the good way.


End file.
